


tick tock goes the clock

by Anonymous



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Finished in 2 days, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hue's Works, Idiots in Love, Just Roll With It, M/M, No Beta We Die Like Endermen, No character tags, POV Alternating, idk the pov tbh, just dying, mc but irl, please this is the longest thing ive ever wrote that isnt multi chapter, so screw off antis, uhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29927976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The dragon’s scales are rumored to be stunning; shiny like obsidian yet smooth like glass and soft like peaches. The horns of the ender dragon are said to have magical properties when ground, making invisibility potions last twice as long and strength potions twice as strong. The hide as a whole is wonderful armor despite how soft the scales are. It is no wonder why the dragon is so lusted after, but one does question whether or not it is worth it for the tedious and perilous journey required to obtain it.OR:In which Techno and Dream are sent (see: forced) into a mission to slay the ender dragon but find a little bit more but I'm sort of subtle with it.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 101
Collections: Anonymous





	tick tock goes the clock

**Author's Note:**

> lmao ok have this trainwreck of a fic that i may or may not be really proud of
> 
> romance is literally not a big part afdshigrew

Dream wasn’t sure why he was here, his mother and father rigidly standing in front of him, as if to act like a guard. He wasn’t sure why they were doing that; it was just a regular meeting called by the king, right? The blond teen ignored the fact that instead of the marble in the opulent dining room, they were standing on dirt in front of a podium that the king would soon speak at, the fact that instead of other noble families, there seemed to be knights and peasants mixed with them too. He had already had to smack a stray thief or two out of his parents’ pockets. Sapnap and George were somewhere among them, and Dream felt comfort knowing that his best friends were with him on this rather strange meeting.

“Ahem,” everyone’s attention was snapped to the rather slim figure taking center stage, horns on either side of his head glaringly obvious, “Today, I’ve gathered you all- by you all, I mean promising candidates.” Murmurs of confusion arose through the crowd at the words, but were quickly quelled when the king continued, “You, the potential candidates will be duking it out until you’ve got two at the top of the dueling brackets.” Dream ignored the stares burning into his back, instead choosing to focus more on the ruler of Imperia. “Then, the two finalists will be sent on their way with a compass meant to lead you to a nether fortress and diamond weapons of their choice. Their goal is to slay the ender dragon and bring the head back to this kingdom. Now, of course, they’d take a while. It’s to be expected. The kingdom will give them three years to attempt to slay the dragon, and if they do not return within the time limit, we will wait another two years before attempting again. If you do return without the dragon.” The king smiled eerily, “You will be exiled and put in the history books as a citizen to be ashamed of. Okay. The duel brackets will be revealed today night. I expect to see you here at the eighth ring of our clock. Good luck!”

Dream’s head swirled. Why did they even have to slay the dragon? It had done nothing wrong. His mouth moved to voice these thoughts, but the grim look on both his parents’ faces made him halt. The expressions seemed to radiate, ‘don’t ask’. Dream had always been excellent at reading facial expressions, and he was quite sure he should follow his instincts on that one. He shut his mouth and followed his parents as they guided him to a local tavern, where the innkeeper hurriedly led them to a large room. Dream merely sat numbly on the bed provided, knowing that he’d have to try his hardest tomorrow or he’d be labeled a failure by his parents. He didn’t even want to go to the end. The king had been called a greedy wart by the dukes ruling the counties, and it was something his parents told him to keep quiet about. Dream didn’t understand why back then, yet now, he was pretty sure he knew. He distantly recalled a passage in the text that described the properties of the dragon.

++++

_The dragon’s scales are rumored to be stunning; shiny like obsidian yet smooth like glass and soft like peaches. The horns of the ender dragon are said to have magical properties when ground, making invisibility potions last twice as long and strength potions twice as strong. The hide as a whole is wonderful armor despite how soft the scales are. It is no wonder why the dragon is so lusted after, but one does question whether or not it is worth it for the tedious and perilous journey required to obtain it._

++++

Dream felt quite sick standing in the crowd as he gazed up at the white, long piece of fabric sure to hold the brackets. Since when had there been so many people? He honestly wanted to keel over and hurl. His fingers curved into a fist and relaxed periodically while they waited, once again, for the king. The horns on the king’s head were gleaming in the soft glow of the moon as he positioned himself on the podium he’d spoken at not even five hours before.

“Welcome, contestants and families of contestants!” The smile on his face sent chills up Dream’s spine. “Tonight, we announce the matches! We will be getting through the first elimination tomorrow, so be prepared!” The king turned towards the large banner with the brackets displayed proudly. 

“So, without further ado, I present to you,” the king paused for dramatic effect, “The brackets for tomorrow!” And the banner fell, revealing the brackets, and Dream quietly scanned the stark black words for his name. He found it rather quickly, reading, ‘Dream, son of the duke of the Agilitae sector versus BBH, a knight in training at the palace’. He sighed in relief. A knight-to-be surely would beat him, right? They were rumored to be among the best, perhaps he need not worry in the beginning. Then, even mother and father couldn’t really blame him. He relaxed before seeking out his friends’ names again. ‘Sapnap of Incensia versus Technoblade, son of the duke of Veternum’. He’d never heard of Technoblade before, but it couldn’t hurt to keep an eye out on him, could it? Next, he sought the name of George and bit his lip when reading the sign. ‘George of Incensia versus Skeppy, guard of the palace.’ The king really wasn’t joking around when he said that this would be tough competition. 

++++

Dream woke up jittery and nervous. It was honestly to be expected. He was going to duel someone who was surely more experienced than he, and well, older as well. Dream himself was merely sixteen, although he’d been experienced with combat for upwards of ten years. He wasn’t sure that it was enough, though. Perhaps it wouldn’t be, and well, he wouldn’t be too surprised if it wasn’t. He really didn’t think his hobby would evolve into anything more, yet here he was, in a colosseum prepared to duel a potential knight. He really didn’t enjoy his life at the moment, honestly. 

“And, 3, 2, 1, begin!” the cheery voice of the king filtered through the cacophony of chaos ringing in Dream’s ear as Dream quickly flipped into his starting stance and waited for his opponent to move, the voice of the king quickly fading to background noise. 

He’d anticipated a harder fight, maybe more effort spent into the slicing of his axe, maybe more strength needed to raise his shield to block incoming attacks. What he got was hardly any effort spent, easily darting between the other and parrying attacks with his axe. What he got was adrenaline, mind taken off the fact that anyone was watching, distanced from the thoughts of slaying an innocent dragon. Agility really was his forte, he thought as he weaved in between the other and delivered harsh blows when they least expected it. They never stood a chance. Dream knocked them over when they tried to slash at his stomach and he dove under the sword, instead divebombing the legs of the other and toppling them over. Dream pinned him down for three seconds before shakily backing off, adrenaline gone as fast as it came, leaving a daunting realization that he had just advanced and that he had more of a chance to be sent away. He wanted to scream at himself as he watched medics take the other away and he was sent to clean off. Dream tried to not dwell on how the crowd on the sidelines muttered angrily, and the clear sounds of clinking metal could be heard even to Dream, whose ears were pounding. He dried off his hair as he frowned at the sand embedded in his old hoodie before changing into a new one. He wasn’t known for lime green sweaters without a reason, after all. Dream sighed and inhaled deeply. Maybe he’d lose tomorrow. If the victory didn’t leave him wanting more, he should’ve. 

++++

Sapnap lost. He did it in true Sapnap fashion, grumbling a tad bit but congratulating his opponent all the same. Dream knew he should’ve kept an eye on the pinkette. The other teen had pastel pink hair, but the strangest feature was the crimson eyes the other had. Dream felt slightly unnerved by them, but he shook it away. 

George won his match. The other put up a great fight, yet George won by mere inches, the two pitted in an uncomfortable position before George managed to pull off a rather risky maneuver and pin the other down on the ground, winning the match. Dream hoped George didn’t have to go on the mission either and was secretly glad that Sapnap lost. No more chance of him going away. Perhaps it was selfish, but humans were made like that. 

++++

The second match, Dream was pitted against a person named Antfrost. Rather weird, but wasn’t his name strange as hell too? He’d really had no position to judge. Dream had had a bit of a harder time fighting him, but not by much. It was easy to disarm the other and toss the sword into the ground, watching it skid about eleven meters away while rendering the other immobile for three seconds. Dream was honestly worried at this rate. His parents knew what his fighting style was, and if he was trying hard enough. They would know if he slacked off, and the thought scared him at what he’d have to endure if he didn’t give his best. The thought drove him to be better and made him want the other opponents to be stronger simultaneously. The other, the one who beat Sapnap, was faring just as well. Dream had been awed watching them fight, their movements were fluid and elegant, and nothing like the agility and force Dream preferred. It was rather beautiful, honestly. Perhaps this was the reward for being dragged here, meeting the other. Dream was growing used to the idea. It would only be a few matches more, then he could get out of here hopefully not burdened with the task of killing something innocent. 

++++

Techno had watched the masked blond with interest. He observed as the blond slipped seamlessly through his opponents’ defenses and brutally and efficiently tossed them onto the ground. It was always rather interesting to watch the blond pull off whatever bright idea would be in his head. He’d pointed it out more than once, to the annoyance and amusement of his family. (‘Simp,’ Wilbur had teased. ‘What Wil said,’ Tommy agreed. Even Phil laughed before nodding. Techno swore he had never felt so betrayed before). Techno wasn’t precisely sure what to feel about the situation, the whole ender dragon killing bit. It was a bit tricky to deal with it knowing the dragon had done nothing to his knowledge. He knew he would have to do it if he won. It wasn’t a matter of choice at this point. Exile was worse than death in this world. Techno knew his family wouldn’t mind if he lost, but that competitive nature of his refused to allow him to lose if he could win. It was infuriating, he would admit, but he couldn’t change the way he was wired as much as he wished he could. For now, all he could do was send the opponents of his crashing to the ground and watch a mysterious blond who was perhaps just as good as Techno. It’d be interesting to watch unfold. Or, it would’ve been had Techno not been one participating in the play. 

++++

The next couple of days flew by. Techno won every single one. He was forced to concede that he’d be slaying the ender dragon- or he’d die trying. Dying seemed like an okay option at this point. There was no way he’d be able to slaughter something as ancient and powerful as the ender dragon, for Primus’ sake. It just didn’t seem conceivable, Techno thought as he gazed down at the two duking it out. Dream was head to head with someone Techno recognized but couldn’t place. Perhaps his name was Pan? Pons? No, Punz, that was right. He watched with intent curiosity seeing as the winner of this match would be the one to accompany him to hopefully murder the dragon. Techno watched as Dream finally got the upper hand, hopping neatly onto the other’s shield and leaping off it to get access to the back of his opponent, where he proceeded to kick the other’s back, making the other fall with less grace than the other could probably manage. The pinkette couldn’t say he was surprised, honestly. It was all in the posture, and despite preferring swords himself, he could tell that Dream’s stance was quite good. He bit his lip when he watched the king stand slowly, just for dramatics. 

“Well!” the man clapped, glee overtaking his features as Techno’s gaze shifted to two boys, seemingly in distress. He had a hunch about what they were stressing over. “We’ve got our two adventurers! Both sixteen years of age, please congratulate Dream, son of the duke of Agilitae, and Technoblade, son of the duke of Veternum! Woah, that is quite a mouthful, no?” the man clapped, turning to exit the arena, “Drop by at the sixth ring of the clock to retrieve your tools. You will have one day to bid your farewells before you will embark. Wish them luck, citizens of Imperia!” 

++++

Dream really wanted to hop off a cliff just about now, surrounded by his lifelong best friends and about to leave everything he’d ever known with a teen who he barely knew. Yes, everything was peachy. He couldn’t help but cry when the two hugged him, and he whispered out, “I promise this won’t be the last.” Dream had always been honest; he wasn’t intending to besmirch that reputation anytime soon. And when they left, and his parents came knocking, he ignored them. They didn’t matter. They’d gotten what they’d wanted, recognition from the king himself and Dream out of their hair. He felt bad for Drista. He missed her, and she might never see him again- no, she’d see him in three years. It was a long time, he’d admit. Three years was almost incomprehensible to him a while ago, his opinion hadn’t changed by much either. Yet, Dream knew deep in him that he did have to go. So, with a heavy heart, he trudged to the palace. Where once the grandiose building reminded him of how rich the man was, now it just served as a reminder of how greedy the king was instead. He hated it honestly. He was welcomed to the castle by servants who also flitted around nervously beside the other ‘guest’. Dream nervously sidled closer almost unconsciously to Techno. He always had had a thing for physical affection, and it really was showing in this uncomfortable environment.

“Ah, welcome, you two!” the feeling and longing for touch grew with the announcement of the king’s arrival, “I’m so glad you could make it! Ah, yes, the compass, sword, and axe will arrive shortly. Please wait for a while.” The air was filled with prickly silence as Dream tried his hardest to not fidget with his hands. He could almost cry in relief seeing the compass and the weapons.

“Okay, I will assume you know how to use the compass,” the king motioned to the red needle spinning rapidly, “Once you’re in the nether, and I assume you know how to get there as well, it will lead you to the nearest fortress. Also, take these bags as a token of appreciation.” Two, sturdy bags were shoved into their hands, and Dream pursed his lips as he grabbed both the axe and bag, slinging the bag over his shoulder before glancing to and fro from the door to the king.

“C- May we go now?” Dream asked uncertainly, unconsciously sticking his leg towards the direction of the exit. 

“I make you that nervous, huh?” the king laughed, and Dream could practically taste the malice in his words, “It’s all good, you may depart now. I do expect results, however.” The stare Dream felt was stifling, and when he burst out the door, he sighed in relief.

“If we die, at least you don’t have to see him again, huh?” his new partner joked slightly, and Dream forced a weak laugh to hide how nervous he was. 

“Yeah,” Dream conceded, nerves slightly soothed despite himself, “I guess you’re right. Now, I’m gonna go get a map and be right back. We’ve gotta stock up on food and then head to a broken portal I passed on the way here, or at least in that direction.”

“Shit,” Techno sighed, “We really got a death wish, huh?”

“Yeah,” Dream agreed, “But I do intend to not die. I made a promise to my friends about that.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Techno spoke distractedly, pointedly ignoring the gazes that followed the duo, “because I’m not about to die either.”

“Maybe this won’t be so bad,” Dream appraised, “This seems okay I guess.”

“You too,” Techno answered, waiting outside the inn as his new partner headed in. Perhaps they actually stood a chance. Then again, chances are never guarantees. 

++++

It was on their way to the ruined portal and the villages surrounding it when they got attacked by pillagers. They were everywhere, and Dream exhaled sharply before leaping in, and did Techno really have a choice but to follow his absolutely batshit crazy partner into battle? He wasn’t about to see Dream get ripped apart, no thank you. They surprisingly worked well together despite their different styles of combat. They worked in silence, almost like they’d been working together in a team for much longer than about five days. Blood flew through the air for all of five seconds, dragged down by gravity. 

“Shit,” Dream sighed, sagging against the nearest tree once the pillagers were wiped out and gazing at the arrows embedded into the ground, “We’re lucky that they’ve got absolutely shit aim. Speaking of which, we do have to grab arrows and bows for the End.”

“Bows?” Techno questioned, and Dream exhaled more, cursing softly at the pain that settled in.

“Yeah,” Dream confirmed somewhat weakly, and Techno rummaged through his bag for medical tools as Dream continued explaining, “We’ve got to shoot end crystals to keep the dragon from repeatedly healing- and shit, we’re actually killing a dragon.”

“Yeah, we are,” Techno muttered, crowding in to wrap the gauze around his partner’s leg after Dream rubbed it slightly, “Nice to see you came prepared for our task.”

“What can I say?” Dream asked, sagging back onto the tree trunk as Techno finished patching the blond up, “I used to adore reading about the nether and the end; they were absolutely fascinating to young me.”

“Not now?” Techno prodded as he himself relaxed against a nearby tree too, the two catching their breath before ultimately having to continue.

“Now, I really don’t have time,” Dream laughed ruefully, “All that dueling and tutors and such. Now, this too. Also, we’ve gotta stock up on water. Like, big time.”

“Oh Notch,” Techno groaned, head tipping to lean on the tree trunk more, “I’ve heard the rumors about that place; they say it’s absolute hell.”

“It sorta is,” Dream sighed, “Historians are pretty sure the concept of hell was based off of the nether. It’s all red and stuff, there’s lava _everywhere_.”

“This suddenly seems way harder,” Techno grimaced, “Prospect of dehydration on top of killing blazes and fighting piglins- not to mention y’know, the wither skeletons.”

“Mm,” Dream huffed, “We’d better get moving. There’s a village close by that I’m sure will have water containers.”

“Okay,” Techno stood up shakily, “Lead the way then, Dream.”

++++

“Come and get me!” Dream laughed from where he was perched on a tree, hopping neatly between the trees in the jungle, Techno just laughing lowly at the antics of his friends. He ignored how the teasing caused him to feel something warm. He didn’t understand it, so I was probably for the best to avoid it. 

“Okay, okay,” Techno replied, following the lime green-wearing blond all the same. He probably would have lost the other ages ago if it weren’t for his outfit choice. 

Later, when both settled down near a village, the settlers promising supplies in exchange for them to kill the malicious entities that swarmed at night, Techno voiced a thought that had been lingering in his head for a while.

“Hey Dream?” Techno asked, continuing when Dream tilted his head to show interest, “Why do you keep risking yourself parkouring with trees and all that stuff?”

“Well,” Dream muttered, thinking about it, “I think it’s just because like- I want to live, you know? Um, if we don’t make it out of the nether alive, hell if we can’t kill the dragon, I want to die at least a little bit happier. You feel me?”

“Yeah,” Techno responded faintly, reflecting on everything that had run through his head, from missing Wilbur’s music, Phil’s warm hugs, hell, even Tommy’s irritating screeching to leaping off cliffs into the water with Dream just for the hell of it, “Yeah, I think I get you.”

Not surprisingly, the mood turned somber after the conversation, both people lost in thoughts that didn’t differ from each other as much as they thought it would. 

++++

“Honestly,” Dream sighed, “I expected heat but not, like, this level.” The blond motioned to the nether. It’d been a while since they’d started, probably around five months spent gathering food to tide them over and storing water. Their bags were heavy, and it weighed on morale as well as their overall energy reservoir. 

“Yeah,” Techno grunted, “I get you.”

“I swear,” Dream lamented, “This compass is showing us the most remote fortress, not the closest.”

“Agreed,” Techno rolled his eyes as he followed the needle insistently. 

“I’ll be shutting up just about now,” Dream pursed his lips, “Talking just makes you want water more, and I’m sure you’re a bit annoyed with how much I speak.” Techno didn’t have the heart to tell the other that he liked- maybe even loved- when the blond spoke. 

++++

We finally made it, Dream thought, euphoria rushing through his veins and then getting shut down by apprehension upon seeing the intimidating black structure. 

“Fuck,” Techno breathed, clasping a hand to his mouth after and dropping it upon seeing that Dream had no outward reaction to him cursing, “That is one intimidating building.”

“Yeah,” Dream agreed, “Remind me why we were so confident we could win?”

“False confidence,” Techno grumbled, before sliding his sword out of its sheath, “Well, no time to dawdle. Let’s go.”

“Yeah,” Dream sighed, “I suppose we do have to go in. Any plan or are we just winging it?”

“Winging it,” Techno wiggled his eyebrows mischievously, “What else is expected of us two?”

Dream snorted, but the sound was laced with worry, “Yeah. Let’s go then. You’re right about the winging bit anyway.”

They entered the fortress, and almost immediately ran headfirst into a wither skeleton. The black entity let out a surprised noise, and before it could react, Techno slid his sword between the bone, and they began moving. Surprisingly, the structure didn’t seem to hold as many dangerous creatures as the books Dream had read had said they did. All too soon, they located a spawner, lingering on the edge of the platform, when the first few noticed them, Dream barely gave them a second to react before an axe head fell on their heads. A rod fell from the remains of the blaze, and Techno scooped it up, long hair slick with sweat from being in the nether. Dream internally saluted those who could somehow keep hygiene in the nether. He wasn’t sure if it was even possible, but he supposed it could be. And- oh shit. Dream looked up to get blazes fuming, and he grabbed Techno’s wrist to tug him away. They slumped against a stairway, exhaling and peering at the bag in which they stored the blaze rods. 

“Think this is enough?” Dream asked, motioning to the blaze rods in the bag. Techno’s eyes flitted to the ceiling as he pursed his lips before nodding. 

“Yeah, should be. Let’s get the hell out of this place,” Techno stood, leading the duo to the exit swiftly.

“Yeah,” Dream sighed, more focused on the point of contact than the words spilling from his friend’s mouth, “Let’s.”

++++

“C’mon, Techs,” Dream pleaded as they followed the markers they’d placed to track their journey, “I’m usually pretty lucky, and ender eyes are stupidly difficult to find, you know?”

“Fine,” Techno gave in, “About twelve trades. That’s all, okay?”

Dream grinned, “Deal.”

An hour later, Techno was gawking at Dream while the blond shoved the five ender eyes into his bag with a toothy grin.

“Told you I was lucky,” Dream crowed happily, bounding towards the nether portal, “Now c’mon, might just be me, but I do wanna get out of this shithole!”

“Coming,” Techno called, following Dream rather anxiously and arriving at the portal, where Dream was waiting,

“Let’s go together cause there’s that off-chance of being teleported to different places,” Dream suddenly seemed shy, but Techno didn’t think much of it in any case. 

Techno will admit that he hated the portal. It was so disorienting, the feeling of changing dimensions completely. Like your body was being cleaved in half, but gently if it made any sense at all. Techno supposed it didn’t, but oh well, it didn’t matter. It was the last time he’d be going there in any chance. 

++++

He was reminded of the warm feeling that rose in him when Dream grinned happily, pointing out the enderman with his seemingly boundless energy. Dream made him feel happy. He realized it a while ago. It was strange, realizing he liked someone he’d been so close with for the past few months and years. He noticed the small things now, the little brushes of skin on occasion, and tried to not overthink it. He noticed the little things, like how Dream made it a point to talk when Techno appeared glum. Techno was honestly a bit disgusted with himself. He shouldn’t be feeling this kind of thing for his friend when they might not reciprocate. He watched as Dream killed the enderman and stored the pearl in his bag, where it fit snugly with the others they’d collected. 

Later, at night, when it was just the two of them and the sky, Techno found himself wondering. He wondered about many things, he’d come to realize. Everything from Dream to how long it would take to finish. 

“Techs?” Dream muttered, and when Techno turned to look at the blond, the other seemed to grow tense before sighing deeply, “Fuck, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now huh?”

“What do you mean?” Techno asked, quite dumbfounded. 

“I- I like you, Techno,” Dream blurted out, “Like, as in more than friends.” Dream took Techno’s silence as an answer because the blond fidgeted and stood up, preparing to run away and muttering, “Oh Notch, I’m sorry- I must’ve crossed a line or something- fuck I’ve ruined everything-” He was cut off by Techno grabbing his wrist.

“I also uhm,” Techno trailed off slightly, “I also might have a similar confession to make?”

“You- you do?” Dream asked, almost incredulously. 

“Yeah,” Techno responded, “Yeah I do. Uh, I like you too. I’ve liked you for a while now, actually.”

“Wow,” Dream laughed slightly, sitting down, and by extension, tugging Techno down with him. Just, wow.”

“Wow is right, huh?” Techno asked, amused.

“So, not to overstep or something, but where are we in like relationship-wise?” Dream asked tentatively.

“No idea,” Techno replied honestly. 

“Dunno, but uh, boyfriends?” Dream asked, so painfully awkward and so muted compared to his usually bright and energetic self.

“Yeah,” Techno agreed, “Boyfriends sounds great.”

++++

It had been a while since they’d established that they liked each other. They found it wasn’t really much different at all; there was just more touching to be done. Dream wasn’t sure exactly how long it had been since they’d left the capital, but he’d hazard a guess of around two and a half years. A question casually asked to a villager confirmed his suspicions, and he and Techno agreed to hurry up. 

“Techs,” Dream groaned, because yes, nicknames were a thing now, “We could’ve traded more and gotten more pearls.”

“Your luck can’t last that long,” Techno rolled his eyes, “I’m pretty sure it was yesterday that a skeleton shot your bag off of you and you needed to get a new one.”

“Wow okay,” Dream scowled, “Didn’t need to call me out like that.”

“Who’s even listening?” Techno chuckled dryly, “It’s not like anyone else but us is here, you know.”

“Mm,” Dream hummed, “I guess so.” 

“Whatever,” Techno said after an awkward stretch of time, “Let’s wander and hope for the best.” 

“Yeah,” Dream sighed, “We’ve got only maybe two or three left to go.”

Turns out that they were luckier than expected. They got back to camp with a new ender pearl, carefully tucked away with the rest of the green spheres. Dream grinned.

“Two more to go,” he crowed happily, and his joy was infectious. Techno couldn’t help but grin goofily. He was such a simp. His family ~~he ignored the small tinger of longing in his heart~~ was right all those months ago. 

“I think we actually might do this,” Techno noted, just a bit dazed.

“Hell yeah,” Dream agreed, “We didn’t come all this way for nothing, now did we?” 

“No,” Techno repeated, smile softly illuminated by the moonlight, “No, we didn’t.”

Both ignored the possibility that they were wrong, that a creature as old as time might beat them. 

++++

“You know, Techs,” Dream muttered as they wandered, “I wonder how long this sort of scheme has been going on.”

“What do you mean?” Techno asked interest piqued. Dream always brought up good points. When Dream spoke, he listened because Dream made him think. Not many could do that.

“Like, the whole king thing,” Dream waved his arm vaguely, “They’re great at controlling information for a country that’s got like, ten different counties.”

“Huh,” Techno mused.

“It could’ve been going on for ages and this was the first time going public!” Dream gasped, eyes flying open, “It all makes sense now! About a century ago there was that great historian- his name started with a K, maybe Kaleb I think he went by? He went missing and not even a month- well, back then it was lunar cycle but- anyway, the other guy that went missing was named I think Jimmy? He was a kindhearted person in the history books. There were more too!”

“Okay,” Techno said, with the aura of someone who was confused, “I think it makes sense. You just might be right.”

“Oh!” Dream continued, “I’ve never actually dwelled on this more, but how would they even know? Like, all about the dragon and healing and stuff-”

“I-” Techno halted in his tracks, “I do believe that you’re right, you know.”

“Well then,” Dream said, “What’re we supposed to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Techno replied truthfully, “I really don’t.”

Dream evidently didn’t either, for silence fell upon the duo again, this time more comfortable than the last. 

++++

“Hey Techno?” Dream asked, idly rolling an ender pearl around in his hands, “You know, what if we don’t make it?” 

“Then,” Techno said, after contemplating the question for a while, “at least we’ll go down together, huh?”

“Mm,” Dream agreed, “That sounds better than dying alone. I’ve always been scared of that honestly.”

“Dying, in general, is scary,” Techno agreed, “I don’t blame you.”

“Yeah,” Dream smiled, albeit weakly, “Yeah.”

++++

It had taken them a while, but they eventually managed to locate a temple. It wasn’t as imposing as the fortress, but in the vines crawling slowly up the ivory, it provided a sample of the age of the temple. Dream warily pushed the vines aside as both entered the place slowly. It was cool inside, nothing like the humid warmth of the forest that surrounded it in a bubble that hadn’t been broken until now. Dream brought up a torch, and Techno wordlessly struck a flame alight. They really didn’t have to though, for in time, they found themselves in a large room, and at the far end of it, there lay a large, stained glass window, with someone kneeling in front of it. They were just about to leave when the figure stood up, and with a much more cheerful tone than what would be expected, said, “Hey! I think I’ve been expecting you two. My name’s Karl, and I’m pretty sure I know what you’re looking for!”

“How the hell did you know again?” Dream asked, dumbfounded for once.

“Don’t know, traveled back I think a month ago? I landed in the capital and saw you two,” Karl hummed lightly as if he hadn’t just revealed that he basically was a time traveler. 

“How’d you know we were gonna go here then?” Techno asked skeptically.

“I literally found this years ago,” Karl snarked lightly, laughing when Techno turned away with a sheepish expression. 

“Alright,” Dream said, collecting himself, “Do you know where the end portal is, by any chance?” 

“Know?” Karl smiled, “For sure! I went there maybe a couple of decades ago! It’s one of my clearest memories. You’ve gotta ground up the blaze rods and soak them into the ender pearls you’ve got to make eyes of ender to open the portal, by the way, so you might wanna start before following the map I made!”

“How’d you manage to beat it last time?” Techno inquired as Karl led them to another room, sidling closer to Dream and twining his fingers with the blond’s. 

“Sheer luck,” Karl waved dismissively, yet both of the people behind him didn’t miss the way he froze for just a split second before relaxing and forcing a natural stance. 

“Okay then-” Dream muttered uncertainly. Techno couldn’t help but agree silently in his head. 

“Anyway!” the brunette in front of them turned sharply and led them into a room filled with books, “This is the library! There are some books I’ve made there, and I need the one titled ‘The City of the End and Where to Find It’. Flip to oh- page sixty-eight or sixty-nine, and I’m sure you’ll find it.”

“City of the End?” Techno asked, blinking once in surprise.

“Don’t ask,” Karl frowned, and something sad lingered in it, “They’re all gone, anyway.”

++++

Out of respect, they didn’t. They followed the instructions as told, and soon enough, bid farewell to the ivory temple and its one inhabitant. They trekked through snowy tundra (‘How can you even live with these kinds of conditions?’ ‘Don’t ask, it’s just a trait.’), ran through deserts (‘At least it’s better than the nether.’ ‘That, it is’), rowed through swamps (‘Icky.’ ‘Well, yes’), and finally made it. It was rather unassuming, the little cave tucked neatly away into a cliffside. It was small, only big enough to fit one person, and both ignored the connotation behind it. They made it work, squeezing in and fighting endermen and stomping on silverfish. 

“Yuck,” Dream grimaced in distaste, stomping with vigor on the silver bugs that crawled insistently.

“Breaking the spawner now,” Techno told him, stabbing the silverfish spawner cleanly in half with his sword, “Just kill the rest of those buggers.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dream called back, distracted. 

It was seemingly hours later when they’d finally gotten rid of all the silverfish. Dream shifted nervously. 

“So, um,” the blond murmured, “Can we wait it out?”

“Yeah,” Techno replied, biting his lip when he cast a look at what was soon to be the end portal, “That sounds great.”

++++

It was the next day, where the two woke up and got into the feel of working when Dream finally suggested going in.

“I mean,” Dream said, “It’s better to get it over with, right? The more cowardly I get, the less chance we’ve got of beating the dragon.” Techno didn’t voice his thought that Dream wasn’t cowardly, merely reasonable, but it seemed his boyfriend got it all the same.

“Okay,” Techno agreed, “You’re right, we should.”

And so the two filled in the circular holes meant for the eyes of ender, and when the portal flared to life, inky black in color and radiating cold, the two didn’t look back as they entered what surely would be the fight of their lives. 

And what a fight it was. Dream and Techno had landed on a platform, and remembering the last words Karl had told them, the pinkette grabbed Dream and tossed the gifted ender pearl onto the endstone on the other side of the platform. They landed, and Dream exhaled sharply at the recoil.

“Give me a little warning, huh?” Dream sighed, and Techno apologized profusely. 

“All fine, let’s just um,” Dream’s attention turned to the dragon, “Let’s focus on the black dragon that’s gonna try to kill us.”

“Here,” Techno shoved a bow into Dream’s hand, paired with a quiver with arrows in it, “Let’s get shooting.” Dream offered a wobbly smile, and then both fell into a rhythm not practiced as much as with melee weapons, but still fluid all the same. 

It wasn’t long before the first crystal exploded loudly, and the ender dragon shrieked loudly, whipping around with less grace than Dream had honestly expected, but maybe his expectations were just raised beyond reasonable ones from being with Techno all the time. The rest of the crystals got shot one by one, and when all were knocked out, the duo traded one last glance and then rounded the obsidian tower to face the dragon. 

It was grueling, trying to fight something that had been slain enough to the point where it knew where the weaknesses in the human body were. They spent more time dodging than getting hits in, but when they fell into a pattern of distracting the dragon and having the other one dart in and land a hit when it perched on the bedrock, it flew by much smoother. The dragon, surprisingly, was much harder to shoot than to hit. Only about three out of ten landed and dealt damage, and the arrows that littered the ground hurt Dream’s head trying to count. Eventually, they wore it down, and just when it was about to be slain- Dream accidentally stepped in front of it just as it tried a desperate last attempt to kill them by exhaling a purple cloud. Dream grit his teeth in pain, but raised his axe and slammed it on the head of the dragon before promptly collapsing and writhing. He blinked hazily and saw Techno’s pink hair before he saw nothing at all.

++++

Techno was halfway asleep when Dream woke with a start. He had brought Dream to the closest village possible before returning and skinning the dragon by himself. It was a long and arduous task, but the only thing on his mind had been Dream. He was doing better, treated with healing potions from the town’s cleric. 

Dream had blinked once and tensed, and Techno looked up to unfocused green eyes. He wanted to cry at the sight of them, and when Dream just smiled lightly, he couldn’t help it as tears rolled down and Dream merely stroked his head with his uninjured hand.

“Love you, Tech,” Dream had admitted later when Techno had calmed and after the cleric dropped by.

“Love you too, Dre,” Techno had mumbled back sleepily before dozing off quickly. 

++++

Dream had healed; Techno made sure of it. So, as they departed the village, lighter despite the skin of the dragon stuffing the bag across Dream’s shoulder full, the only remnant of the injury was the light purple circle with a slit drawn through it left on Dream’s wrist. They’d left with light hearts and bright smiles as they borrowed a map to get back to the kingdom.

“You know,” Dream murmured one night, “We’ve got enough emeralds from those villages who were nice enough, why don’t we just buy a horse?” And well, Techno honestly didn’t have a reason not to, so they splurged for once on their trip. Leading the white horse away from the town they’d stopped in, Dream slumped against Techno’s shoulder almost immediately, soothed by the steady steps of the horse and the beat of Techno’s heart. Tecno didn’t mind it at all. Not one bit.

++++

Things were much, much faster with horse travel. What once might’ve taken maybe three months now was reduced to merely two. The duo stopped in front of the capital, exhausted, but could you really blame them? It’d been so long since there had been any lasting stability in either’s lives if you didn’t count each other. 

He and Techno gazed up at the stone walls with annoyance. Dream slipped through the gate, unnoticed by anyone. Techno followed after a bit, tossing the bags over the wall where Dream caught it with practiced ease, beckoning him in.

“C’mon Techs,” Dream grinned mischievously, and the two darted up the main road to the palace, Dream slowing as they got closer.

“What’s wrong, Dre?” Techno asked, noticing how Dream slowed repeatedly.

“I have a disliking to the palace and the main resident,” Dream sighed.

“Let’s hope he dropped dead then, huh?” Techno joked lightly, and although he didn’t find it particularly amusing, Dream laughed so it must’ve been better than he had thought it was.

“Probably not,” Dream sighed, “but with the way he ate, it wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary, you know?” 

“Heh,” Techno chuckled lightly, “C’mon then. I don’t want to hold up my family any more than I already have.”

“Neither do I,” Dream laughed, “Thanks, by the way, Techno.”

“No problem,” Techno smiled gently, “No problem at all.”

The duo approached a source of noise, the quietest from what they could gather. They followed it to the pavilion of the castle, where they hid and watched as the king let words ungracefully tumble out of his mouth. And looking at the calendar proudly displayed, their worst fears were confirmed not by the paper, but by the king himself.

“This marks the third year from when both were sent out,” the king proclaimed, frown on his face as Techno and Dream watched from behind shrubbery as George sniffled a tiny bit and Sapnap openly cried. Techno watched as Phil bit his lip, eyes watery. He saw how Tommy wiped his eyes on occasion, how Wilbur swallowed heavily. And he decided that he’d had enough, emerging from the bush and lamely asking, “Uh, hope I wasn’t too late?”

**Author's Note:**

> so funny thing, when i was writing this and finishing up, my yt playlist (i dont like spotify for some reason) decided to play heat waves i kid you not


End file.
